Chair



e. A. GARLAND.

CHAIR.

(,Application filed. Aug. 18, 1897.)

Patented A ug. l6, I898.

iNo Model.)

llivrrnn STATES PATENT inrrcn- GEORGE ALBERT GARLAND, OF MEDFORD,MASSACHUSETTS.

CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 609,389, dated August16, 1898. Application filed August 18, 1897. Serial No. 648,650. (Nomodel.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ALBERT GAR- LAND, of Medford, county ofMiddlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inChairs, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompany ing drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawingrepresenting like parts.

My invention is an improved chair or reclining-seat which may be readilyadjusted to any position desired.

The object of my invention is to provide a chair having all theadvantages of theusual reclining-chair-t'; e., a chair capable of havingthe angle between its seat and back changed to suit the requirementsofits different occupantsand which at the same time shall be extremelysimple in its mechanism and easily operated and shall also be smooth andregular in its operation, inexpensive'in its manufacture, andextremely'durable.

Many reclining-chairs have been heretofore provided and proposed but sofar I am aware they have all either required complicated or cumbersomemechanism to operate them which has been difficult for the usual pur-.

chaser to understand or liable to get out of order or which have beenbulky in shape 'and ungainly in appearance. Accordingly I have done awaywith these objectionable features and have made a chair which iscompact, neat,

and as artistic as any usual chair, while at the same time affording allof the advantages which have long been desired.

My chair has extremely easy-running ways to permit the back and seat tobe adjusted as desired, combined with means to insure the easy movementthereof and prevent any binding action of one side with the other as itis being adjusted and a locking device to fix the parts in theiradjustment.

The further details of my invention will be set forth in the followingdescription, and the invention will be defined in the appended claims,reference being had to the accom panying drawing,showing a preferredembodiment of my invention.

In the drawing the figure is a perspective View of the framework of thechair constituting my invention, the upholstery being omitted and partsbeing broken away in order to render the details of construction clearand easily understood.

My invention may be applied to various forms of chairs and, indeed, toother'articles,

of household furniture. For the purpose of illustration and explanationI have herein shown it as applied to a heavy arm-chair, in which thelegs a a and arms I) may be of any usual or preferred style.

In the base 0, at either side of the chair, I provide ways 0, said sidesof the chair having rollers or friction-wheels c at the forward end,mounted on fixed journals 0 and provided, if desired, with ball-bearingsin order to give greaterfreedomof movement. Similar wheels dare providedat the rear end of the arms to support the back 'e of the chair, whichis hinged at e to the seat f, the latter being movable therewith overthe rollers c at the forward end of the base and carrying similar'rollersor wheels f, constituting retaining means, at its rear end,supported in brackets f said wheels running in the ways ,0 providedtherefor and already described. I. I From the above description it willbe understood that the chair can be made reclining from the positionshown simply by moving the seat forward, this movement drawing the lowerend of the back forward, and therefore causing it to incline more orless.

If, however, the chair should simply be moved forward, as stated, oneside thereof,

if it were l0cked, as is usual, at one side, would be extremely liableto move slightly faster than the other and would therefore bind andeventually twist and loosen the joints,

so as to render the chair inoperative and worthless in a short time.Accordingly I have provided a construction which brings all the strainsof the chair atits center of movement, and which therefore tends toprevent the twisting and racking strains, for the reason that when theoccupant sits in the chair aforward or backward movement on his part isreceivedequally by the two sides of the seat. Said means are hereinshown as comprising links g, fixedly pivoted at g to a bracket 0 on across bar or brace c of the base of the chair, I

these links being pivoted at their free ends to links 9 at g and saidlinks 9 pivotally secured at their forward ends g to the movable seat,the links g having links g pivoted thereto and to each other, the links9 at their common pivot being also pivoted to a ratchet g The ratchet 9*works in the bracket 0 at the middle of the chair, and its notches g arenormally engaged by a dog on an operatingrod 70, which Works freely in alug 7& at one end, the other end thereof projecting through the base ofthe chair and being provided with a handhold 70 at its end to be graspedby the occupant of the chair if he wishes to lower the same.

A spring 70 is shown normally to hold the dog in engagement with theteeth of the ratchet.

I have described above minutely all the details of construction of myinvention,although I wish it understood that I am notlimited thereto,inasmuch as various modifications and substitutions may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention.

In operation the occupant of the chair, if he wishes to make the samemore reclining, simply pushes in on the rod 7c and allows the seat toslide forward to the required distance and then lets go of the rod,permitting its spring to lock the chair in its new adj ustment, and areverse movement of the chair 1'. 6., sliding the seat backwardeffectsan opposite adjustment, bringing the back of the chair more nearly to avertical position.

The rollers d, f, and 0 permit the chair to run with the utmost freedombackward and forward, and the ways c,cooperatin g with the rollersf,insure that the parts cannot become disarranged or separated one fromanother.

.Thelink movement g, &c., cooperatingwith the bracket 0 prevent the twosides of the seat from being distorted and wedged by the strains on theback and seat and cause the back and seat to move in unison backward andforward and prevent their becoming wedged in any posit-ion.

I have shown the ratchet g as provided with rearwardly-sloping teeth inorder that they may click over the dog 70 as the seat is moved backward;but it will be understood that, if preferred, teeth may be substitutedso that the chair may be moved in either direction .Without releasingthe dog from the ratchet.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A reclining-chair having a fixed base and a movable seat and back,combined with a fixed support for the back over which it may move,cooperating recessed ways, and Wheels traveling in and retained by saidways, to permit relative movement and prevent separation thereof, meansto equalize the strains on said seat and prevent one side moving aheadof the other, and a locking device to lock the seat and back in theiradjustment, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with the seat ormovable member and the fixed member, of means to equalize the strains onthe former, said means comprising links secured at one end to saidmovable member and at their other ends connected with links pivotedthereto, said second links being pivoted at their meeting ends to and atthe middle of said fixed member, a bar, and other links pivoted to saidsecond links and to said bar, and a fixed guide at the middle of saidfixed member for the free end of said bar, and a locking devicecooperating with said bar to hold said parts in their relativeadjustment, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with the seat ormovable member and the fixed member, of means to equalize the strains onthe former, said means comprising links secured at one end to saidmovable member and at their other ends connected with links pivotedthereto, said second links being pivoted at their meeting ends to and atthe middle of said fixed member, a bar, and other links pivoted to saidsecond links and to said bar, a fixed guide at the middle of said fixedmember for the free end of said bar, and a locking device cooperatingwith said bar to hold said parts in their relative adjustment, saidlocking device having an operating member extending beyond the fixedmember to be readily grasped by the hand, substantially as described.

at. In a device of the class described, the combination with the seat ormovable member and the fixed member, of means to equali'ze the strainson the former, said means comprising links secured at one end to saidmovable member and at their other ends connected with links pivotedthereto, said second links being pivoted at their meeting ends to and atthe middle of said fixed member, a bar, and other links pivoted to saidsecond links and to said bar, a fixed guide at the middle of said fixedmember for the free end of said bar, said bar having ratchet-teeth, anda locking-dog to cooperate with said teeth to lock the parts in adjustedposition, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE ALBERT GARLAND.

Witnesses:

. Gno. F. GARLAND,

GEO. H. MAXWELL.

